This invention relates to a water-soluble antiseptic or antifungal composition containing 2-(thiocyanomethylthio) benzothiazole as the active ingredient.
2-(Thiocyanomethylthio)benzothiazole (hereinafter abbreviated as TCMTB) is a known compound for non-medical uses as an antiseptic or antifungal agent, which is used to treat wood, natural leathers, plants, seeds, and the like. Since TCMTB is insoluble in water, in preparing it as a solution for practical use, it must be dissolved in an organic solvent, alone or together with certain surfactants. In actual usage, the solution of TCMTB in an organic solvent is further diluted with an organic solvent to the desired concentration and applied, for instance, to wood. Alternatively, the solution of TCMTB in an organic solvent to which a surfactant is added can be diluted with water, thereby forming an emulsion of the oil in water type. Such emulsions can be used for a variety of purposes but they have drawbacks since the emulsions lack stability; and, permeability of the emulsion into the inner portion of materials such as wood and natural leather remains limited.
Various preparations of water-insoluble antiseptic and antifungal substances other than TCMTB have been proposed e.g., see Japanese Patent Publication Nos. Sho 44(1969)-31221 and Sho 51(1976)-50483; Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Nos. Sho 51(1976)-9705, Sho 52(1977)-66603 and Sho 57(1982)-22003.
This invention is directed to solving the drawbacks of the TCMTB emulsions as mentioned above and to find TCMTB compositions which can form a stable aqueous solution (not an emulsion) by diluting with water. Such compositions would show an improved permeability to the inner portions of materials to be treated.
We have investigated the combinations of TCMTB with various surfactants and organic solvents and have found that the use of polyoxyalkylene styrylphenyl ether phosphoric acid esters or the alkali metal salts thereof, can solve the above mentioned problems.